Panera’s Latest Viral Brawl Proves the Company Has an Image Problem

Panera Bread has been facing a mounting issue of an image problem in the press. The latest round focuses on a now-viral brawl that took place in a Colorado store, where a teen worker is being hailed as a local “hero” for breaking up a fight using one of the company’s bread pans. Can the popular chain turn its image around?

Viral Brawl in a Colorado Panera

The New York Post is reporting that when the irrational patron began to attack patrons and staff at the Colorado fast-casual Panera Bread, a pan-wielding employee repeatedly struck him in the head.

Five miles west of Denver, in a Glendale Panera Bread, the suspect — Isaac Ross, according to the Glendale Police Department — began inflicting mayhem.

Natalie Wiersma, a terrified patron, captured the suspect on camera acting irrationally, hurling objects off the counter at the restaurant’s employees, and demanding that they return a phone. “The suspect was yelling it at the workers, and they were all super confused-looking and said, ‘We don’t have your phone,’” she said.

Patrons attempted to beg Ross to stop and leave, but it seemed to enrage him even more. Before launching into a tirade in front of other patrons, Ross could be heard yelling a racial epithet at one diner. A customer then yelled at Ross, “No one has your phone!” as he kept up his menacing behavior.

After assaulting other patrons, an employee of Panera Bread entered with a big bread pan and, as another customer tried to detain him, smacked Ross across the head five times.

Ross left the scene shortly after the altercation, the Glendale Police Department said. They also disclosed, however, that he later made a second violent outburst when he went back to the same Panera.

Regarding the second incident, authorities claimed that Ross had beaten a male victim who was considered to be at-risk. The victim’s minor wounds required medical attention.

As of this writing, Ross remains at large, and police are asking for information on his whereabouts.

Lawsuits & Offloads

In addition to the pending lawsuits tied to the alleged wrongful deaths surrounding Panera Bread’s Charged Lemonade, the company’s faltering finances have led them to consider offloading other brands, including Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels.

According to people familiar with the matter, Bank of America has been selected by parent company Panera Brands, based in St. Louis, and backed by JAB Holding, a private equity firm, to manage the brand’s sale process. They further mentioned that other restaurant owners and private equity firms are considering placing bids for the companies. The casual eating chain might receive $1.5 billion in cash from the deal if it is successful.

JAB, Panera Brands, and Bank of America all declined to comment. With its most recent move, Luxembourg-based JAB, which combined Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee, and the bagel trademarks into the Panera trademarks business in 2021, has changed its strategy.

The sources claim that Panera Bread is requesting a valuation for the combined coffee and bagels operations that is higher than 10 times the estimated $150 million in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization in 2024. The Minneapolis-based corporation Caribou Coffee operates more than 800 locations across 11 countries. The bagel brands in the U.S. have a combined total of about 1,000 sites.

One of the sources claims that JAB has been working on getting Panera Brands ready for an IPO for the past year. In addition, the business might consider listing the remaining Panera Bread segment if the talks to sell the bagel and coffee chains proceed smoothly. The group’s primary source of income is Panera Bread.